Police Academy 3: Back in Training
Directed by Jerry Paris
- comedy
- crime
The story
When police funding is cut, the Governor announces he must close one of the academies. To make it fair, the two police academies must compete against each other to stay in operation. Mauser persuades two officers in Lassard's academy to better his odds, but things don't quite turn out as expected...
What it’s like
Bright, flat studio lighting and broad, cheerful staging make this a sunny, unfussy 1980s studio comedy, with the look of a hotel-lit sitcom rather than a gritty cop film. Scenes play out in long-ish medium shots of cluttered offices, gyms and a city street, with pratfalls and slapstick timed for big reaction faces. The score is bouncy synth and brass, and the soundtrack leans on cartoonish sound effects and rubbery squeaks. The vibe is goofy, good-natured and light, the kind of movie that suits a lazy Saturday afternoon, a background watch while folding laundry, or a nostalgic rewatch with friends. Pacing is loose and episodic, with a rapid run of gags and set pieces (a rivalry-driven contest between two academies, a series of dim-witted schemes) that never lingers on anything heavy. The arcs are simple: a bumbling cop gets a shot at redemption, a rival tries to rig the game and gets his comeuppance. Violence is cartoonish and bloodless, with punches, falls and crashes, and some crude toilet and sex-adjacent jokes but no real sexual content and no real menace. It is aimed at fans of slapstick ensemble comedy who want something silly and easy to sit with.
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